How long does food stay in your body before being metabolized? Weird thing about my weight this week

nervegrind3r

Lifer
Jul 12, 2004
16,267
5
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For the most part, I eat very healthy, and log everything I eat on fitday.com. I usually eat between 2000-2400 calories/day across 5 meals (30-40-30 breakdown). I drink water or tea only. I normally run or lift weights, but have not been active at all in the past two weeks due to neck and back pain. My normal weight is about 212lbs.

So on Sunday, I went to a Italian restaurant with my family for a get-together. I hate all types of yummy shit, appetizers, veal, pasta, tiramisu, etc etc. I felt pretty bloated that day, and don?t normally eat out like that, or that much. Come Monday morning, I weighed myself first thing on my trusty digital scale; its says 216lbs. I didn?t think I gained 4 lbs, but who knows :p

I still felt a bit bloated even on Monday, but I started back on my normal eating routine like any other day. I haven?t skimped on meals, or eaten less; I eat about the same number of calories each day, and again, no exercise, not even additional walking as I have a desk job, and usually sit or lay down when I get home.

I have weighed myself each morning using the same digital scale in the same spot, with no clothes on (for accuracy), before eating or drinking anything, and right after doing my morning business:

Mon: 216
Tues: 216
Wed: 214
Thur: 213
Friday: 211

So again, I did not exercise, did not skimp on meals or take in less calories than any other day. The only other thing that was different this week is that I have been drinking a lot of green/white tea this week at work for whatever reason, more so than normal. Seriously, I have been lazy as shit sitting and laying down all week because -- Im hurting.

So I?m wondering if it took that long that digest and metabolize all that shit I ate, and why did it not just get stored as fat or whatever? I just think its weird, any ideas?
 
Mar 22, 2002
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No, it didn't take from Monday to Friday to digest all your stuff. You could've been potentially just carrying around more weight (water weight from drinking more, sodium intake increased). I would say that your sodium intake probably had a larger effect on your body. Plus, your body partially regulates your blood volume through your urinary system. Therefore, if you had a lower blood pressure, you would be more likely to retain more water in compensation.
 

nervegrind3r

Lifer
Jul 12, 2004
16,267
5
81
is it normal to carry around that much water weight after one day of eating? I probably took in alot more sodium than normal that day (for sure), otherwise my normal diet has below average sodium intake.

I also heard from someone that beef/veal/etc takes a long time to digest and stays in the intestines for a while. Any truth to that, and maybe it took time to digest and pass? :eek:
 

irishScott

Lifer
Oct 10, 2006
21,562
3
0
Originally posted by: nervegrind3r
is it normal to carry around that much water weight after one day of eating? I probably took in alot more sodium than normal that day (for sure), otherwise my normal diet has below average sodium intake.

I also heard from someone that beef/veal/etc takes a long time to digest and stays in the intestines for a while. Any truth to that, and maybe it took time to digest and pass? :eek:

From what I've read, a good steak can last up to 48 hours before being passed.
 
Mar 22, 2002
10,483
32
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Originally posted by: irishScott
Originally posted by: nervegrind3r
is it normal to carry around that much water weight after one day of eating? I probably took in alot more sodium than normal that day (for sure), otherwise my normal diet has below average sodium intake.

I also heard from someone that beef/veal/etc takes a long time to digest and stays in the intestines for a while. Any truth to that, and maybe it took time to digest and pass? :eek:

From what I've read, a good steak can last up to 48 hours before being passed.

I think that's exaggerated. Food is usually completely processed in 20ish hours.
 
Mar 22, 2002
10,483
32
81
Originally posted by: nervegrind3r
is it normal to carry around that much water weight after one day of eating? I probably took in alot more sodium than normal that day (for sure), otherwise my normal diet has below average sodium intake.

I also heard from someone that beef/veal/etc takes a long time to digest and stays in the intestines for a while. Any truth to that, and maybe it took time to digest and pass? :eek:

Well, that day's sodium compounded on your normal sodium intake definitely will make your sodium gradient in your kidneys quite a bit greater.

It would not take anywhere near that amount of time to digest and pass. I do not believe beef would take any longer to digest than any normal meat. Protein begins being digested as soon as it gets into the stomach and continues into the small intestine. In the small intestine is where your fats start to digest. It would be hard for me to believe that beef would take that long to digest, even if its fat content does slow digestion.
 

rasczak

Lifer
Jan 29, 2005
10,437
23
81
Originally posted by: nervegrind3r
is it normal to carry around that much water weight after one day of eating? I probably took in alot more sodium than normal that day (for sure), otherwise my normal diet has below average sodium intake.

I also heard from someone that beef/veal/etc takes a long time to digest and stays in the intestines for a while. Any truth to that, and maybe it took time to digest and pass? :eek:

yes. i've spiked 5 pounds due to water weight and sodium intake, to see my body get back down to 215. This happened about a week or two ago.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
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Originally posted by: irishScott
Originally posted by: nervegrind3r
is it normal to carry around that much water weight after one day of eating? I probably took in alot more sodium than normal that day (for sure), otherwise my normal diet has below average sodium intake.

I also heard from someone that beef/veal/etc takes a long time to digest and stays in the intestines for a while. Any truth to that, and maybe it took time to digest and pass? :eek:

From what I've read, a good steak can last up to 48 hours before being passed.
How long does it take to pass a bad steak?
 

Megatomic

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
20,127
6
81
I see this happen to me all the time. If I go a few days without running (thus no profuse sweating) and if my diet those consists of more sodium than normal, my weight will spike up a few pounds. The morning following a run (with profuse sweating) I will have lost those few pounds even though I'll have drunk almost a gallon of water the previous day. I do excrete a lot of salts/minerals in my perspiration.

So I'm going to agree with the others, your added weight is due to a temporary fluid imbalance.
 

gramboh

Platinum Member
May 3, 2003
2,207
0
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I lost roughly 5 pounds running 15km while dehydrated (stupid mistake), so fluids are a huge role in day to day weight changes.